Cannabinoids 101: What Makes Cannabis Medicine?

We live in ironic times: a plant that’s been labelled criminal and dangerous is providing unrivalled relief for a variety of symptoms and conditions.Cannabis strains bring a colorful variety of medicinal effects, but when confronted with the question of how consuming marijuana could possibly be good for you, not everyone knows how to respond.

This brief look at cannabis chemistry is meant to arm you with a basic knowledge of how marijuana affects the brain and body. Not only will you better understand your medicine, you’ll be able to educate others about why cannabis is truly a safe, natural, and effective remedy.

What are Cannabinoids?

One hefty word that belongs in every medical marijuana patient’s vocabulary is cannabinoid. Cannabinoids (e.g., THC and CBD) are the chemical compounds secreted by cannabis flowers that provide relief to an array of symptoms including pain, nausea, and inflammation. These work their medicinal magic by imitating compounds our bodies naturally produce, called endocannabinoids, which activate to maintain internal stability and health. To put a complex system simply, they mediate communication between cells, and when there is a deficiency or problem with our endocannabinoid system, unpleasant symptoms and physical complications occur.

When cannabis is consumed, cannabinoids bind to receptor sites throughout our brain (receptors called CB-1) and body (CB-2). Different cannabinoids have different effects depending on which receptors they bind to. For example, THC binds to receptors in the brain whereas CBN (cannabinol) has a strong affinity for CB-2 receptors located throughout the body. By aiming the right cannabinoid at the right receptors, different types of relief are achievable.

This concept is the cornerstone of cannabis as medicine, and the results are so promising that these cannabinoids have been synthesized for legal prescription use. Some synthetic cannabinoid medications include Marinol, Nabilone, and Rimonabant. While these synthetic forms are effective, research shows that herbal cannabis contains a far wider variety of therapeutic compounds.

The below wheel serves as a handy resource to determine which cannabinoids help treat symptoms associated with mood, eating/gastrointestinal disorders, neurological disorders, pain, sleep disorders, and other medical conditions. Click on the infographic for an enlarged version.

Image Credit: Leafly.com

We live in ironic times: a plant that’s been labelled criminal and dangerous is providing unrivalled relief for a variety of symptoms and conditions. Cannabis strains bring a colorful variety of medicinal effects, but when confronted with the question of how consuming marijuana could possibly be good for you, not everyone knows how to respond.

This brief look at cannabis chemistry is meant to arm you with a basic knowledge of how marijuana affects the brain and body. Not only will you better understand your medicine, you’ll be able to educate others about why cannabis is truly a safe, natural, and effective remedy.

What are Cannabinoids?

One hefty word that belongs in every medical marijuana patient’s vocabulary is cannabinoid. Cannabinoids (e.g., THC and CBD) are the chemical compounds secreted by cannabis flowers that provide relief to an array of symptoms including pain, nausea, and inflammation. These work their medicinal magic by imitating compounds our bodies naturally produce, called endocannabinoids, which activate to maintain internal stability and health. To put a complex system simply, they mediate communication between cells, and when there is a deficiency or problem with our endocannabinoid system, unpleasant symptoms and physical complications occur.

When cannabis is consumed, cannabinoids bind to receptor sites throughout our brain (receptors called CB-1) and body (CB-2). Different cannabinoids have different effects depending on which receptors they bind to. For example, THC binds to receptors in the brain whereas CBN (cannabinol) has a strong affinity for CB-2 receptors located throughout the body. By aiming the right cannabinoid at the right receptors, different types of relief are achievable.

This concept is the cornerstone of cannabis as medicine, and the results are so promising that these cannabinoids have been synthesized for legal prescription use. Some synthetic cannabinoid medications include Marinol, Nabilone, and Rimonabant. While these synthetic forms are effective, research shows that herbal cannabis contains a far wider variety of therapeutic compounds.

Cannabis contains at least 85 types of cannabinoids, many of which have documented medical value. Products and strains have been developed to deliver larger doses of different cannabinoids, so knowing which types best treat your symptoms is a handy piece of knowledge to bring to your next dispensary visit.

The below wheel serves as a handy resource to determine which cannabinoids help treat symptoms associated with mood, eating/gastrointestinal disorders, neurological disorders, pain, sleep disorders, and other medical conditions. Click on the infographic for an enlarged version.

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The Author

Angus McBride

Angus McBride is a pseudonym used by the editor of MedicalCannabisReport.com. Angus also happens to be a Christian minister who has experienced a paradigm shift in regards to the safety and usefulness of marijuana. His ministry position does not allow him to reveal his true identity at this time, lest he lose credibility with some of his congregants, whose minds may presently be closed to varying degrees on the issue of cannabis, relative to their lack of knowledge on the subject.

MedicalCannabisReport.com is geared towards those who want to know more about marijuana’s proven usefulness as a medicine, but without engaging the “stoner” or “head shop” culture.

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About This Site

Cannabis, better known by it's slang term "marijuana" was safely and commonly used for millennia all across the world as medicine, food, clothing, sacrament, and hundreds of other uses.

Today, it remains heavily stigmatized due to 80 years of propaganda and deceit from government officials and greedy corporations. Yet, for the past several decades, scientists, doctors and researchers have discovered that this amazing plant holds significant promise for the treatment and cure of more diseases than any other single substance known to man.

Please spend some time on this site and become an educated, informed citizen. Watch the interviews and testimonials of people whose lives have been transformed by this gift from God. Share it with your friends. It's time to stop the insanity and allow hurting, dying people to have legal, easy access to the medicine they desperately need.